Never Forget, Never Forgive
by Beregond5
Summary: TF:A. AU. Pre-Megatron Rising. Prowl never told his friends about his past. Then again, he never thought that his past would come and find him on Earth.
1. Part 1

_A/n: Wow, a TF story that isn't G1. XD Consider this as a missing episode set after "Nature Calls." :)_

_Warning: I labelled the story AU, because I had written it before Prowl's actual past was revealed in the 3rd Season of TF:A and thus his background diferrentiates._

_---------------_

There was no moonlight that particular night, and the stars did little to light the fields that were located a few miles outside the town of Marysville, Ohio. Everything was quiet and peaceful; the only things that were on the move were the nocturnal creatures that had come out in search of a meal.

All night-life took cover, however, when an escalating roar filled the air. The dark atmosphere lit up, and a giant ball of fire crashed on the ground, burying itself in the crater that got formed at the impact.

Fortunately, the flames soon died out, leaving only thin trails of smoke behind. Eerie silence followed, replaced by the smooth noise of moving gears.

The giant metallic form that climbed out of the crater stretched to his full height. He winced when he felt several twisted gears and wires on his shoulder straining him in an unpleasant way, so he ran a diagnostics program in order to assess the damage.

It wasn't anything serious. His self-repair systems would fix the problem in no time. It would still hurt if he moved his shoulder too much or if he transformed, but it wasn't something he couldn't deal with. He'd had worse and yet he had coped, if only out of sheer stubbornness.

Even so, he mentally swore to never take a free dive out of a spacecraft again, even if it _was _falling apart.

He sighed ruefully. He hoped that his ship would hold together at least until he landed safely but, apparently, luck wasn't at his side. The ship was old and suffered a lot of damages during that "folly of a trip", as he was told before departing. It was a wonder how it managed to fly after all those solar cycles, in fact. Now he could only hope that the debris wouldn't cause damage wherever they landed.

Speaking of which… where did _he _land?

He took a cautious step forward. He marvelled at the soft ground under his feet and he activated his scanners to check his surroundings.

_Organic life, _he deemed in mild surprise.

It didn't make much sense. He was sure that the coordinates he got from that shattered space-bridge were right, and yet it felt so different from what he had expected.

Just then, he heard something a lot more familiar to his audio-receptors, the sound of a fast-approaching engine.

----------------------

"Yeehaw! Yeah, baby! I've finally lost the coppers!" the motorcyclist exclaimed in delight, one of his hands gripping tightly a large pack. "Rich life, I'm well on my way and nothing's gonna stop me!"

He was certainly shocked when the trees to his left moved aside, even more so when a giant blue robot with golden chevrons stepped out on the road.

"Greetings."

"Yowza!" the motorcyclist managed to say before he put on the brakes. Unfortunately, his motorcycle skidded violently and the young man found himself thrown forward. After rolling for a good couple of feet, he ended up harmlessly at the robot's feet, his helmet saving him from any serious injuries.

"Oh… my bad. I didn't mean to startle you," the robot said and knelt down by the motorcyclist. "Are you damaged?"

The young man got back on his feet, flailing in his panic.

"Okay, okay, dude! I get it, you're one of them! If I knew that you metal freaks were around here, I'd never have stolen the money, I swear!"

The robot tilted his head in a questioning manner. "Metal freaks?"

The motorcyclist gasped in realisation. "Oh, no! I offended you, didn't I? Look, dude, I didn't mean it. Just don't crush me, okay? I promise you, I'll turn over a new leaf. I'll do social work, I'll recycle. I'll even start writing back to my mom, man!"

"Actually--" The robot never managed to finish his sentence. The sound of sirens filled the air and, moments later, several police cars arrived at the scene.

One of the officers stepped out of his car. "All right, Jones!" he cried, loud and clear; "You're under arrest for robbing the National Bank!"

"Yes! Yes! I admit to everything! Even the candy I stole from my cousin in 4th grade! Just call him off!" the motorcyclist said, wailing uncontrollably.

"Uh… sure," the officer said, staring at both the thief and the obviously perplexed robot in disbelief. He turned to his men. "You heard him, boys. Cuff him."

The motorcyclist seemed more than happy to be taken away, thanking the policemen over and over. But the blue robot remained kneeling, and he only turned his gaze on the officer when the latter approached him.

"Thanks for the backup. It's nice to see you guys expanding your crime-fighting activity to other states."

The robot scratched the back of his helm in an embarrassed manner. "Well, you could say I was at the wrong place at the right time."

"Oh?" the officer said. "Why is that?"

"For one thing, I don't know where I am."

"You're kidding me, right?" the officer asked in disbelief, but he regretted his words when he noticed the robot's rigid posture. The robot was quite serious. "Have you just arrived on Earth?"

"Is that the name of this planet?" the robot asked.

"I'll take that as yes," the officer concluded. "I guess that explains it. Most of your kind is in Detroit, you know."

The robot's light-blue optics widened slightly. "Is that another planet?" he asked anxiously.

"Um… No," the officer answered patiently, as though talking to a young boy that was eager and curious. "Look, you can download the map from my car. Consider it as a thank you for helping us out."

"I appreciate it," the robot said, nodding. "However, there's another favour I want to ask of you."

"What's that?"

"Your fellow Earthman was on a machine when I came across him."

"You mean that blue motorcycle of his?" the officer said.

The robot chuckled. "Indeed. May I scan it?"

-----------------------

**Three days later…**

As soon as the first rays of light bathed Sari Sumdac's room, Sparkplug got out of his basket and leapt on Sari's bed.

"Ow!" The young girl exclaimed. She lifted her head and cast an indignant, albeit sleepy, look at her dog. "Go away, Sparkplug! I'm trying to sleep!"

She covered herself with the blanket once more, but the robotic dog wouldn't be deterred. In fact, it grabbed the blanket and started pulling it energetically.

"Sparky! Cut it out!"

Sparkplug replied with a loud mechanical bark and resumed tugging the blanket. Realising that she was fighting a lost battle, Sari pushed herself in a sitting position.

"Fine, fine, I'm up," she said. She rubbed the slumber off her eyes, then picked up a ball from her nightstand and tossed it across the room.

Sparkplug rushed to fetch the ball and dropped it back in Sari's hand.

"Good dog," she said softly. She rewarded Sparkplug with a pat on the head and got up to get dressed. A few minutes later, she was walking inside the kitchen, where her father was already having his breakfast.

"'Morning, Dad," Sari said with a smile. She sat down and turned to the robo-chef who was making some French toasts. "Can I have some orange juice, too?" she asked.

"A glass of orange juice coming up, _mademoiselle,_" the robo-chef said in an almost ridiculous French accent. Sure enough, the machine placed the orange juice and a couple of French toasts in front of the girl and then he resumed with his cooking.

However, Professor Sumdac still didn't give any impression that he had noticed his daughter. He simply kept munching his bacon, his gaze locked on a couple of blueprints that were sprawled on the table.

"Dad?" Sari said, eyeing him closely.

No good. Professor Sumdac was too absorbed in his work, like always.

"Dad!"

The professor fell off his chair, startled.

"Who? What?" he asked dazedly. He caught sight of Sari and scratched his head. "Oh, good morning, Sari. I didn't see you there."

"No kidding," the girl noted with a tease. "So, what are you working on? Can I help?"

"No, no, it's alright. It's nothing I can't handle," Professor Sumdac said. He got up on his feet and collected his papers before Sari could have a good look at them. "You can have your lessons with Tutor-bot instead."

"But, Dad, Tutor-bot is broken again, remember? I can't have a lesson," Sari pointed out.

"Oh! So he is, isn't he?" the professor mumbled thoughtfully. "I was sure I fixed him a week ago. What could be the problem this time?"

The girl smiled innocently, her fingers playing with her key. "Beats me," she said.

The professor thought about it for a few moments. "Well, in that case, you can go outside and play if you want."

"Awesome! Can I go see the Autobots? Please, please, say yes! I promise I'll be back for lunch! And this time, I _will_ remember my promise!" Sari said, talking at a 100 miles per hour.

"Uh… yes?" Professor Sumdac replied.

"Yes!" Sari gulped down her orange juice in no time at all and, moments later, the French toasts vanished from her plate too. "I'm gonna tell Bumblebee to come and pick me up. It's gonna be so awesome! I can't wait! Later, Dad!"

"Wait, Sari!"

However, the girl was already gone. All the professor could do was shake his head and sigh. Sari was full of life, like a child should be. He couldn't remember the last time he had dashed out of a room like that. It was the price for all those years he spent in creating his robotics empire.

Which reminded him… it was time to talk to his Autobot friend over the blueprints. So, he gave instructions to his robotic secretary that she shouldn't let anyone disturb him and went to his laboratory.

As the door opened with a small hissing sound, red optics locked on his form.

"Ah… Professor Sumdac. You're as punctual as always," Megatron said. "Have you checked the blueprints?"

"Yes, of course," the professor said with a nod.

"And have you reached a conclusion?" Megatron asked.

"I think it can be done." Sumdac sat on the hand-like chair so he could talk to Megatron properly. "Still, I can't help but worry."

"Oh? For what reason?" Megatron's optics narrowed slightly at that.

Sumdac crossed his arms. "I agree that this repair-bot of yours will be useful to the Autobots. I can't have Sari running around in the middle of the battle so that she can fix her friends, or Ratchet getting distracted," he said. "But, if the Decepticons ever get their hands on the repair-bot, the consequences could be disastrous. They might download all the data stored in it to find any weaknesses of the Autobots. They might even reprogram the repair-bot so that it inflicts damage instead."

"That, Professor Sumdac, is a risk that I have already considered," Megatron said. "It seems to me that the certain benefits the Autobots will have outweigh any possible disadvantages that might cross our way."

"I suppose so…" the professor mused, "But--"

"Besides, Professor," Megatron interrupted, "isn't this the very reason that we've kept this project secret even from our friends, the Autobots? So that this kind of information wouldn't reach the wrong ears?"

"Yes, but--"

"Then we've done everything within our power to make sure the repair-bot will always stay in the right hands," Megatron said.

Professor Sumdac was hardly appeased, though. He knew that Megatron had a point. Still, he didn't want anything to happen to the Autobots because of his own inventions.

That was something Megatron himself probably understood, because he continued on.

"Nevertheless, if it proves more reassuring, we can always place a security protocol on its programming. In this way, it will take instructions only from its rightful owners."

"Yes, yes, that would be best," Professor Sumdac said. "And none of the Decepticons will be able to use it."

"Are you satisfied then?" Megatron asked.

"Indeed. I'll start working on the repair-bot at once," Professor Sumdac replied. He got off his seat and headed for the exit, already mumbling to himself the procedure it would take to create the repair-bot.

The red optics glinted maliciously as soon as Megatron was left alone in the room.

"That was almost too easy," the Decepticon leader mused softly before activating the computer screen. As soon as he found the blueprints of the large, tentacled mechanism, he started making the appropriate alterations.

No, Professor Sumdac's suggestion didn't bother Megatron. In fact, it was very useful. The security protocol would enable Megatron to have full control of his precious little gimmick and the Autobots wouldn't be able to stop it until it was too late.

And then, the… repairing… could commence. Megatron needed some loyal servants under his service, after all, and having the Autobots as faithful followers would be quite the irony.

---------------

"So… remind me why we're doing this again, Sari?" Bumblebee asked, holding a small tablecloth.

It seemed Bulkhead and Ratchet wondered the same thing, because they looked in her direction too. Bulkhead was holding a basket, whereas Ratchet was busy with Sparkplug.

"It's a picnic," Sari explained. She took the tablecloth from Bumblebee's hands and set it on the grass. "We just sit down to eat and drink, and then we play."

"We could play back at the base, you know," Bumblebee pointed out. "I got this new game where you're a wizard and you can blow stuff up."

"It's not the same, Bumblebee," Sari said. "We're talking about outdoor games, like throwing a Frisbee or roller-skating."

"Roller-skating?" Bumblebee exclaimed. "Now you're talking my language!"

"Great!" Sari said, smiling broadly. "But first, we have to sit down and enjoy the goodies! Give me the basket, Bulkhead."

The large green bot complied, watching Sari open the basket and placing a sandwich for herself and several energon cubes for her friends.

"Okay, guys! Dig in!"

"Sweet!" Bumblebee said, sitting down. "Too bad Bigbot isn't here to loosen up a bit." He looked around, realising that there was something else missing from the picture too. "Speaking of loosening up, where's Prowl?"

Ratchet looked meaningfully at a cluster of trees nearby.

"Well, you know him. He's probably hanging around somewhere."

"I'm afraid you're wrong this time, doctor," a smooth voice sounded behind Ratchet. Prowl now approached the rest of the Autobots and Sari, and they noticed that the motorcycle seemed troubled.

"What's wrong, Prowl? We aren't quiet enough for your little meditation session?" Bumblebee asked with a huff.

"Actually, it wasn't you this time," Prowl answered.

"Oh, that's nice—hey!"

Prowl simply gave Bumblebee one of his 'Be quiet' looks and looked at their surroundings again.

"What's bugging you, kid?" Ratchet asked, looking at the motorcycle quizzically. Prowl was stiff to the point that there was hardly the sound of any gears moving.

"I'm not sure. It feels like we're being watched."

"Can't do anything about that," Bulkhead said, pointing at a group of kids standing a few feet away and gawping at the giant robots. "You'll just have to get used to it sooner or later."

Prowl shook his head. "It's not them."

"How can you tell?" Sari asked. She looked around too, but she only saw some other kids playing and some adults sitting on the benches, either reading a book or listening to music.

"I just can," Prowl said.

"Oh, right. It's a ninja thing," Bumblebee harrumphed.

The words barely flowed out of Bumblebee's lip components when Sari's key flashed brilliantly. The girl stared at the key in disbelief and then looked up at the Autobots, hoping they knew why it was acting up.

"Okay, I take that back," Bumblebee declared. He replaced his hands with his stingers, getting ready to fight.

"We never seem to get a break, do we?" Bulkhead said wryly. He followed Bumblebee's example and took out his crushing ball.

"You'd better get out of here, Sari," Ratchet said.

"But I can help! I have the key, remember?"

"Sari--"

Prowl never got the chance to finish his sentence. A terrible roar of engines filled the air, and the Autobots found it difficult to stay upright as the ground underneath them shook. Screaming humans started running hither and thither, trying to escape from whatever disaster was going to come up next.

Finally, the ground cracked open and a monstrosity of a machine surfaced. It was almost as tall as Bumblebee, standing on six powerful legs, whereas its round body served as a cockpit for whoever was controlling it.

"Okay, is this thing on?" a booming voice sounded through a couple of speakers. A piercing sound of a microphone getting tapped on made the Autobots wince. "Ah, right. Ahem… people of Detroit, I come here in peace. That is, as long as you're willing to give me seven billion dollars within the next hour, or your lovely city will turn to ruins! Ahahahahaha!"

Bulkhead sighed and turned to the others. "Why do they always have to laugh like that at the end of their speech?" he asked.

"It must be some kind of bad guy protocol," Bumblebee said. He activated his wheels and skated forward. "Hey, rust-bucket! Catch me if you can!"

"You _dare _defy me?" the booming voice asked in an affronted manner. "I will enjoy crushing you!"

"Provided you're fast enough," Prowl said in his usual calm demeanour. In the blink of an eye, he used his shuriken to cut one of the machine's large pincers in two by the joint.

"Why you--!"

"You talk too much," Bulkhead declared, launching his crushing ball to smash the cockpit.

Meanwhile, Prowl made short work of the legs' joints as well, making the machine stagger precariously. Thankfully, Ratchet's magnets stopped the machine from doing any damage, forcing it to land smoothly on the ground. Bumblebee rushed to the cockpit and shoved an arm inside.

"What?! Hey, let go of me! Let go, I say!"

Bumblebee did no such thing, of course. He gripped the culprit tightly by the collar of his shirt and took him out of the cockpit.

"Heh… you don't look so big now," he commented, regarding the human curiously. The human seemed just about Sari's height, and he was squirming violently in Bumblebee's grip.

"I promise you, this won't be the last time you'll hear from me!" the human raved, his voice sounding quite diminished now that a microphone wasn't magnifying it.

"Of course not," Bumblebee replied. "We'll hear about your sentence on TV."

"Speaking of which, it's time to do a delivery," Ratchet said at that moment, hearing the sound of sirens in the distance.

The short man shouted his frustration and he didn't stop ranting till Captain Fanzone arrived to pick him up.

"Well, thanks for the help and all," the captain said a bit grudgingly. "I'd still appreciate it if you cleaned up this mess though." He kicked the robotic structure to prove his point, but that made one of the more loose parts fall on his foot.

The Autobots were sure half of Detroit heard Fanzone shout: "THIS IS WHY I HATE MACHINES!" Still, they could only watch the unfortunate captain limp to his car and drive off.

"I kinda feel sorry for him," Bulkhead said when the police cars were gone.

Ratchet nodded his agreement. "At least he tolerates us."

Bumblebee, on the other hand, focused on Prowl. The ninja was standing a little farther away, his gaze drifting in every direction.

"Okay, I'm sorry. You were right," Bumblebee said. "I'll trust your sixth sense in the future, deal?"

"Actually, I'm concerned with something else now," Prowl said.

Bumblebee blinked. "What's that?"

"Where's Sari?"

---------------------------

While her friends battled the machine, Sari sat on the sidewalk nearby. She rested her head in her hands and heaved her third sigh in a row, feeling somewhat disappointed.

It's not that she didn't understand that her friends wanted to protect her, she really did. Still, there were also times that she wished they trusted her more. She wasn't completely defenceless. Even if she got in trouble, she could always pull through with the help of her key… whenever it didn't do things on its own accord anyway.

She glared at her key, frustrated that it kept flashing like that. She knew the key was trying to tell her something, but she couldn't for the life of her guess what it was. The only other time it acted like that was when something Cybertronian was close by. The machine the Autobots were fighting _wasn't _Cybertronian, though. She was sure of it.

Unless… something _else _was close by?

_Okay, if I were something Cybertronian, where would I be? _she thought. She looked around her, but she couldn't see anything at first glance. That is, until she caught sight of a blue motorcycle at the other end of the park. Normally, she wouldn't have thought anything wrong with its presence there. Motorcycles were a common thing in the park.

Except… there was nothing common about a motorcycle moving on its _own. _

Right. If the guys didn't want her to fight, she could at least check out their stalker. She stood up and took a step forward, but she stopped in her tracks when she realised something very important.

What if the motorcycle wasn't friendly? Even worse, what if it was a Decepticon?

She shook her head. Confronting the motorcycle head on wasn't the best idea. She would have to go the long way around and watch it from behind. After all, two could play that kind of game.

Smiling, she ran around the block. When she got close enough, she slowed down and pushed herself against the wall so it wouldn't see her; then took a peek around the corner.

It didn't seem like it had noticed her. Good.

The key had other ideas though. It lifted on the air and started tugging Sari forward.

"Hey!" the girl exclaimed, grabbing her key with both hands. "Stop that!"

The key just kept pointing in the motorcycle's direction, flashing even more brilliantly if that were possible; until Sari had no choice but to tuck the key under her blouse.

"And stay there!" she hissed. She waited for a few moments, expecting the key to make some form of protest, but nothing of the sort happened. Feeling that that problem was taken care of, she turned around to see what the motorcycle was up to.

She gasped when she saw it was gone. And she froze when she heard metallic footsteps from behind her.

"If you want to surprise someone, you have to be a lot quieter than that," a young male voice said.

She spun around, her eyes wide. The blue motorcycle was indeed there, except he was now transformed into his robot mode and directing his gaze at her.

Sari couldn't help but stare for many long moments at him. He resembled Prowl at first glance, with a pair of golden chevrons that adorned his helm and streaks of yellow that decorated his blue form. Nevertheless, there were certainly lots of differences too. His face wasn't as lean or his light-blue optics as narrow, whereas his countenance seemed youthful rather than austere and distant like Prowl's.

"Sorry," she caught herself saying, "I was just curious."

The robot cocked his head in a questioning manner. To Sari's comfort, he didn't look like he was angry, and he didn't try to hurt her either.

"You sound younger than the other Earthmen," the robot noted. "More like a protoform."

Sari blinked at the weirdness of the statement. "Yeah, well… I'm a kid."

"And yet you're not afraid of me."

Now it was Sari's turn to look at the robot inquisitively. "Why would I be afraid?"

"Because of what I look like," the robot replied.

Sari shook her head. "I'm used to it. Most people here are," she said. She regarded him closely. "Unless you give them a reason to be afraid."

The robot stiffened. "I'm an Autobot. I don't terrorize for a living."

Sari stared at the robot. "You're an Autobot?!"

The robot nodded and pointed at the small Autobot insignia on his chest.

"But then why didn't you join the fight?" the girl asked in genuine curiosity. "Those other robots were Autobots, just like you!"

"I'd only get in the way," the motorcycle answered. He sighed ruefully. "And, besides… I didn't come here to fight."

"Then why did you come?"

The robot didn't answer Sari though. To the girl's surprise, he simply lifted his gaze.

"Hello, Prowl."

Sari turned around, only to see that Prowl was really standing a little farther away, while Bumblebee, Ratchet and Bulkhead were next to him. And Prowl was staring at the robot incredulously.

"Silverstreak?!"

--------------------

_A/N: __In case anyone is wondering: since I wanted to treat this story as if it was an actual episode of Animated, I figured the creators would have gone for the name of Silverstreak rather than Bluestreak, due to copyright and everything. As for the blue and yellow plating, it's a tribute to the colours of his old boxart back in the G1 days._

_And, of course, there's the other G1 reference (see: Secret Of Omega Supreme). _

_Special thanks go to Beertree and Rumblestrip for helping me with the story. :)_


	2. Part 2

Nobody spoke for some time. Sari, Bumblebee, Ratchet and Bulkhead stared incredulously at the two motorcycles. As for Prowl and Silverstreak, they just faced each other, neither of them moving.

"So, uh… you know each other?" Bulkhead finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Better than you think," Prowl replied in a stiff manner.

Silverstreak's gaze remained locked on Prowl, but Sari noticed the blue bot's hands clench into fists.

"Hey," Bumblebee exclaimed, noticing Silverstreak's chest-plate. "That's the Autobot insignia! You don't happen to be part of a rescue team, are you? I was wondering if _anyone _would eventually show up!" He extended his hand toward Silverstreak. "The name's Bumblebee, and I'm the fastest thing on wheels. Any friend of Prowl's is--"

Prowl grabbed Bumblebee's arm in the blink of an eye and stopped the yellow bot midway. Bumblebee looked up at Prowl, confused at that action.

"Kid, is something wrong?" Ratchet asked, just as perplexed.

Prowl didn't seem to pay attention to them though. He still stared at the blue bot.

"What are you doing here, Silverstreak?"

Silverstreak's optics reflected no emotion at the sound of the hostile tone. "I heard about your disappearance. I got worried about you, so I set out to find you."

Prowl pursed his lips momentarily. "As you can see, I'm fine."

Silverstreak's jaw tightened. "It appears so. And the three other bots that are with you? The little Earthwoman?"

"Friends," Prowl replied. "_Trustworthy_ ones."

Sari and the other Autobots never expected to hear Prowl so bitter. On the other hand, Silverstreak hardly flinched.

"You used to trust me too," he said softly.

"And need I remind you what happened?" Prowl asked, his optics all but blazing in fury.

"I can never forget," the blue bot answered, lowering his gaze. "But I didn't come for the past, Prowl. I just wanted to know if you're okay."

"Very well," Prowl said. "That means your quest is over."

Silverstreak nodded slowly. "Yeah… I guess," he said.

He didn't wait for an answer. He just transformed and drove away, turning around a corner and out of sight.

"Oookay…" Bumblebee said, watching the blue motorcycle go. "What was that all about?"

If Prowl ever meant to answer, he never got the chance. An incoming transmission snapped all the Autobots out of it.

"Optimus Prime to Autobots. What are your coordinates?"

"Not too far from base, Prime," Ratchet replied. "What is it?"

"Drop everything and return at once. There's something I need you to see."

"We're on our way," Ratchet said and ended his transmission. He transformed to his alternate mode, and turned to the others. "You heard Prime. Let's go."

Bulkhead and Bumblebee complied and transformed as well.

"Coming, Sari?" the yellow bot asked, opening the door.

Sari didn't respond at once, the odd behaviour of her key when near Silverstreak distracting her.

"Sari?"

"Hmm? Oh, right. Coming!" She quickly climbed inside Bumblebee, fastening her seatbelt as he drove away. She looked back at Prowl to see if he was following them, but she saw him still in his robot mode, looking in the direction Silverstreak left.

----------------------

When Professor Sumdac entered his laboratory later that day, Megatron noticed that the human looked very pleased with himself.

"I take it you have some good news?" he asked.

"Oh, yes," Professor Sumdac replied. "The Autobots managed to defeat a machine that looks very much like the repair-bot we were designing. It even has the correct size, too."

Megatron narrowed his optics. "With a few modifications, we could have the repair-bot ready in a few hours."

"That's what I thought as well," Professor Sumdac said with a nod. "You want me to bring the machine in the lab?"

"Make it so, Professor," Megatron said. "As soon as you bring the machine here, I can start operating on it at once."

"Of course. It will be here in an hour or so," Sumdac promised and walked out.

If Megatron could smile, he would do just that right there and then.

"Things are progressing much better than I had anticipated," he mused aloud. "It will be a mere protoform's play to reprogram the mechanism's functions. And when that happens, not even the girl's key will be able to save the Autobots from a lifetime of servitude."

After all, Megatron reasoned, there was nothing to fix on a bot that was simply reformatted.

------------------------

Optimus sat at the computer, staring thoughtfully at some pictures, when the sound of transforming reached his audio receptors. Knowing who it was, the young Autobot turned around just in time to see Bumblebee, Ratchet, Bulkhead and Sari approaching him.

He frowned when he noticed something wrong with that picture. "Where's Prowl?"

All three Autobots exchanged uneasy glances, something that surprised the young leader.

"Um… He just had this thing and… it couldn't wait, so… He'll come a bit later," Sari finally answered, an innocent smile tugging on her lips.

Optimus raised an optic ridge. "Okay…" he replied, deciding to let this one slide for once. "I'd prefer it if you were all here, but I guess it can't be helped."

"Well, what seems to be the trouble, kid?" Ratchet asked. "You sounded pretty agitated before."

"Yes. It appears there have been some unexpected developments," Optimus replied.

"Developments? What kind of developments?" Bumblebee asked.

Optimus pressed one of the buttons on the computer. "The mayor called about an hour ago to inform me that the debris of a spaceship has been recovered in the state of Ohio. He's sent over some pictures that were taken from the crash site."

Bulkhead picked up Sari and placed her in his shoulders, so that she could see the pictures as well. Everyone looked at the screen, curious to see the wreckage for themselves. There wasn't much left from it though. Its parts were scattered all about, broken to small pieces.

"Sheesh… and I thought _our _landing was bad," Bumblebee commented.

"Was anybody hurt?" Ratchet asked.

"No," Optimus said. "Fortunately, the ship crashed in a field outside a small village. The strange thing is that there was no one inside by the time the authorities arrived at the scene to investigate."

Just then, Ratchet saw in one of the pieces of misshapen plating a very familiar insignia.

"An Autobot ship?" he noted.

"Yes," Optimus replied. "That was why the mayor contacted us. He wanted to know if we were expecting anyone, and who it could be."

Bulkhead leaned close to Bumblebee. "Do you think that was Silverstreak's ship?" he whispered.

"If it was, I know someone who isn't gonna be happy," Bumblebee whispered back.

"Bumblebee, Bulkhead, perhaps there's something you want to tell me?" Optimus said. He had noticed them talking, and he couldn't help but feel curious about that kind of secrecy.

The two Autobots winced. "Well, uh… actually…" Bulkhead started hesitantly.

"Actually, there's one survivor from that crash-landing," Prowl said. He had arrived unnoticed, and had heard most of what Optimus had to report. His face betrayed nothing as he said: "He's here, in Detroit."

Optimus stared at Prowl in surprise. "How can you be so sure?"

"Um… we… kinda… found him," Bumblebee admitted in an embarrassed tone.

"What?!" To say that Optimus was shocked would have been an understatement. "Why didn't you say something before?"

"Because of me," Prowl replied. "It was a rather… unpleasant meeting."

"Wait…" the young leader said, seeing where Prowl was going with this. "You know him?"

Prowl nodded.

"So what is he doing here?"

"He wished to see if I was all right," the ninjabot replied simply.

"I see. So it wasn't a rescue mission," Optimus noted. "But then why didn't you bring him here, Prowl? If he's gotten stranded like the rest of us, he shouldn't be out there alone."

Prowl stared at Optimus in the optic. "If you hope he will help us, then I'm afraid you're mistaken. Silverstreak is unreliable."

Optimus looked at the motorcycle in mild curiosity. "How so?"

Prowl crossed his arms. "You really want to know, don't you?" He turned to the others. "And you too?"

When everyone nodded, Prowl's shoulders slumped forward.

"Very well. I'll tell you."

------------------

_The small spaceship was cruising idly in space without anyone piloting it, but its occupants weren't concerned in the least. They had set the controls to autopilot, so the two bots were busy otherwise._

"_You know what I've been thinking?" said one of them. "When we retire, we could get ourselves a couple of houses in the best area of Iacon. Nothing fancy, mind you, just a place to live in and enjoy the fruits of our labour. You could spend your time meditating or reading, and I could find a femme and bond with her. Heh, maybe I'll even have a couple of protoforms when the time's right. What do you say?"_

"_As long as they don't run around in my house, ruining my meditation, you can have as many protoforms as you wish," Prowl said in his usual calm tone. He inspected one of his shuriken, then resumed with his polishing._

"_You sure have a way of spoiling one's dreams, Prowl," Silverstreak answered in a tease. He was holding a dismantled laser gun at optic level to look inside the barrel. He didn't want any dust in it._

"_I aim to please," Prowl said, a small smile forming on his lips. He faced Silverstreak, raising an optic ridge. "What's this talk about retirement anyway?"_

"_Hey, I'm not saying we should retire tomorrow!" Silverstreak replied. He put the barrel down, flexed his fingers, and put the gun together in a matter of seconds. "We're good law enforcers, if not the best, and we're in our prime. All I'm saying is that we should plan for the future."_

"_Let's just plan how we should catch our game first," Prowl said, placing his shuriken back in place. "Ready?"_

_Silverstreak grabbed the gun and spun it around his index finger before inserting it with experienced ease into the built-in holster in his thigh. "Ready."_

_Prowl curled his upper lip in mock distaste. "Show off."_

"_Yeah, I like you too," Silverstreak replied with a grin._

------------------

"Whoa! Hold on there!" Bumblebee said, staring at Prowl in disbelief. "You were a law enforcer?"

"Yes," the ninjabot said coolly, raising an optic ridge. "Why the surprise?"

"Um… no reason," Bumblebee replied, wringing his hands nervously. "But it certainly explains a few things," he whispered to Sari and Bulkhead, who nodded their agreement.

"But what were you doing so far from Cybertron?" Optimus Prime asked, intrigued.

"We were searching for a certain troublemaker," Prowl said. "A bot by the name of Oil Slick, who offered his services to the highest bidder. He had already deactivated several bots and our superior officer wouldn't have it anymore."

"So he sent just you and Silverstreak?" Ratchet exclaimed. "What was he thinking?"

"We were the best for that task," Prowl replied. "I never saw anyone beat Silverstreak when it came to guns and we were also partners. As for me… I knew Oil Slick."

Optimus felt like his jaw would drop on the floor. "From where?"

"From a time when we were both studying the ways of the Circuit-Su," Prowl said with a shrug. "Though we were apprentices, we never considered the other a friend. Once we learned enough, we each went our separate ways."

"But, since you had studied together, you could handle him," Ratchet said, understanding.

"Precisely."

"So what happened? Did you find him?" Bulkhead asked.

Prowl's voice strained quite audibly. "Yes."

---------------------------

_Prowl was sitting at a table in a cyber-bar, silently reading the datapad which contained Oil Slick's case file. A waitress approached the table, holding a tray in her hands._

"_Here's your energon, brooding, dark and mysterious," she said. "Will there be anything else?"_

_Prowl's optics reflected his frowning expression. "No, that will be all."_

"_I'll have what he's having," Silverstreak said at that moment, walking up to the table. "And make it sweet, just like you," he added with a charming smile._

"_Sure thing, cutie," she replied with a broad smile of her own. As she went to the inner part of the bar to see to the order, Silverstreak sat at the table._

_Prowl glared at him._

"_What?" the young bot said innocently._

"_Nothing," Prowl answered eventually, shaking his head. "Did you learn anything or did you get… distracted?"_

"_I'm hurt now," Silverstreak said, although he certainly didn't sound like it. "I not only confirmed he's in the area, I even found out where he is. Not bad, huh?"_

_Prowl sat up, his curiosity piqued. "And?"_

"_And he's got his spaceship just a few kliks away from here," Silverstreak said. The waitress appeared with the blue bot's energon, which she handed to him happily. "Thanks," he said._

"_Any time, cutie," she answered with a wink, and she went back to her work. Silverstreak watched her go, regarding her quite appreciatively._

_Prowl cleared his vocaliser. "Silverstreak."_

"_Sorry, sorry," Silverstreak said, chuckling. He returned his gaze to Prowl. "So what's the plan, partner?"_

"_The plan is as simple as they come," Prowl replied. "I'll meet Oil Slick head on, whereas you will secure his ship. Is that clear?"_

_Silverstreak grinned and emptied the cube in a single gulp. _

"_Perfectly."_

_--------------------_

"Let me guess," Bumblebee said, interrupting again. "Something went wrong."

"A lot of things went wrong," Prowl answered, his hands clenched into fists now. "I faced Oil Slick as we had agreed, even got the better of him, when his ship suddenly exploded, sending shards and debris all over the place."

"And Silverstreak was inside the ship?" Bulkhead asked, his optics widening ten-fold.

"That's what I thought, since he didn't answer when I contacted him via our transmitter," Prowl replied. "As I feared the worst, I quickly placed Oil Slick in a pair of stasis-cuffs and searched for Silverstreak."

"But he was okay, right?" Sari asked.

"Dented and cracked, yet still functional," the motorcycle confirmed. "I was so relieved that I went up to him, meaning to get him back on his feet.

"And then… Silverstreak lifted his gun and shot me. Right here, on the chest-plate." He pointed at the spot where his spark pulsated to prove his point. "The last thing I remember before offlining was seeing Oil Slick free from his stasis-cuffs, congratulating Silverstreak on a job well done."

None of the others spoke this time. They were too shocked to say anything. So, Prowl continued on.

"When I came online again, I was on a berth in a repair-bay. The medic told me Silverstreak was in another room, where his own wounds were being taken care of as well. I went there, I told Silverstreak I never wanted to see him again, and I left. He kept his back to me the whole time, and didn't turn even to see me go." Prowl's tone became cold, even bitter, "A few weeks later, I was dismissed from the force because of my blunder and I found myself repairing space-bridges. And the rest, as they say, is history."

Silence reigned in the room when Prowl finished his tale, as none was sure how to approach matters.

"What about Silverstreak?" Optimus finally asked.

The motorcycle shook his head. "I don't know. He was still healing at the repair-bay when I left Cybertron, and I never cared to find out his own punishment. As I said, I wanted nothing more to do with him."

"I see," Optimus said with a sigh. "Prowl, I'm sorry your friend did that, but still…"

"He's not my friend, Prime. That's the problem," the motorcycle replied.

Optimus cocked his head, not understanding.

"He's my brother," Prowl said, then turned around and retired to his room, not bothering to look back.

--------------------

"I didn't know you guys could have siblings," Sari said to Bumblebee. Both of them were alone in the main room, since the rest left over an hour ago to see to their own duties and Prowl was still in his room. So, when the silence started weighing too heavily on the girl, she decided to go ahead and ask the first thing that crossed her mind.

"Well, we can," Bumblebee answered. "Or, at least, something that's like a sibling relationship." He looked in the direction of Prowl's room. "But I never thought Prowl and Silverstreak could be related like that."

"Yeah," Sari said. "Sure, they look alike, but… they _aren't_ alike."

"Tell me about it!" Bumblebee exclaimed. "It took me a whole solar cycle to like Prowl, and I liked Silverstreak in seconds!"

Sari nodded emphatically. "He really sounded friendly while we talked. And a bit sad." She faced Bumblebee. "I bet he's sorry about what happened. That's why he came here. I mean, he said he didn't come to fight."

"Yeah, I guess," Bumblebee admitted. "But we can't just find Silverstreak and ask for an explanation."

Sari stood up in determination. "Why not?"

Bumblebee stared at Sari in disbelief. "Have you lost your mini-spheres?! Prowl would never agree to that!"

"And has _that _stopped you before?" the girl asked, raising an eyebrow.

The young Autobot scratched his head. "Well, no… Still, how are we going to find Silverstreak?"

Sari smiled and held up her key. "I have our guide right here."

--------------------

Megatron was in darkness, focused on modifying the machine Professor Sumdac had acquired for him. He knew the professor wouldn't enter the room again. The Decepticon leader had convinced him that there was no need to tire himself out; not when Megatron could put the final touches on the so-called repairbot. So, the professor slept soundly in his quarters, and the machine was all but ready.

Still, there was something missing, and Megatron would have to take care of it before considering his plan complete. He needed to test his creation on one of the Autobots, so that the Decepticon leader should be sure he enslaved his enemies without setbacks.

It was with that thought that he activated the computer screen, searching the city for any Autobot who was vulnerable enough. And when he saw a lone blue motorcycle driving along the streets of Detroit on its own, Megatron knew that he had found his test subject.

-------------------------

Night fell swiftly in the city of Detroit, and hardly anything stirred. All the citizens had gone to sleep. All, that is, except for a little girl, who was determined to find an elusive Autobot.

Sari stood in the middle of a park, holding up her key in the air. Bumblebee was parked beside her, watching his friend expectantly and waiting for the key to flash, but the key didn't so much as glint.

"I don't get it!" Sari exclaimed in frustration, "We searched everywhere and we didn't even catch a glimpse of him!" She sat on a bench and rested her chin in her palms with a sigh.

"Well, he's Prowl's brother. What did you expect from someone related to a ninja?" Bumblebee reasoned.

"You're not helping," Sari grumbled.

"Sorry," the young Autobot said, his hood lowering in a form of apology. Silence reigned for a while, until Bumblebee decided to speak his mind.

"Look, Sari… It's getting late, and I don't want your father worried or anything. We could continue our search tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I suppose so," Sari replied. She stood up and got inside Bumblebee. "Come on, let's go."

Bumblebee started his engine and set off for Sumdac's Robotic Empire. He drove in silence, watching Sari closely when she didn't say a word. Her expression was quite sad, and she kept tugging her key.

"We'll find him sooner or later," he offered in consolation. "He can't stay hidden forever."

"Yeah…" Sari said half-heartedly. "I just hoped we could--"

She never finished her sentence, for her key flashed a brilliant trail of light off to her left. Sari gasped and patted Bumblebee's dashboard.

"Bumblebee, we've found him! Turn left, quick!"

"Are you sure?"

"Positive! Now come on!"

The Autobot complied at once. The girl gave him directions, and he kept his scanners open on the chance he might pick up Silverstreak's energy signature and find him. A couple of turns later, however, he had to stop or risk falling into Lake Erie.

"That was close!" Bumblebee noted. He checked his surroundings, realising that he had halted on a pier mere feet from the end. Several crates were scattered about, and the faint sound of the water splashing on the pilings reached his audio receptors.

"Yeah," Sari admitted. She looked down at her key. "Hey, it's still flashing!"

"I don't think we need your key anymore, Sari," the Autobot said, his tone surprisingly quiet.

The girl meant to ask why, but her voice died in her throat when she discerned a large figure sitting on the edge of the pier.

"Step out," Bumblebee instructed.

Sari scrambled out of Bumblebee, and the Autobot transformed to his robot mode. He placed a finger on his lip components, a sign that they should keep silent. Understanding, Sari followed Bumblebee's example and walked beside him as quietly as possible. They didn't want Silverstreak to bolt as soon as he saw them, after all.

They barely managed to take a couple of steps in Silverstreak's direction, when his young voice filled the night air.

"As I said in the morning, little Earthwoman, if you want to sneak up on somebody, you have to be a lot quieter than that." The blue bot turned his gaze over his shoulder. "That goes for you too… Bumblebee, isn't it?"

Bumblebee scratched his head in embarrassment. "Yeah, that's right." He chuckled. "Heh, if I had any doubts about you and Prowl being related, I sure don't have any now."

"Bumblebee!" Sari exclaimed, glaring at her friend.

"What?" Bumblebee asked. However, realisation caught up with him as soon as he registered Silverstreak's tension. "Oh…"

"How much did he tell you?" Silverstreak asked in a low tone, drifting his gaze back to the lake.

Sari and Bumblebee hesitated to answer for a moment, but the girl decided there was no point turning back now.

"He told us you are brothers," she said. She sat next to him, looking up to his face for any kind of reaction. "And he told us why you separated."

Silverstreak's face betrayed nothing as he lowered his gaze in Sari's direction. "Then why are you here, conversing with a traitor?"

"Because I want to understand," Sari answered, unafraid.

"Understand what?" Silverstreak said, shaking his head. "He's not lying, if that's what you're wondering. I _did _shoot him." His right hand clenched into a fist. "And I regret it every single day."

"Then why did you do it?" Bumblebee asked. "He's your brother, you used to be partners, and yet you betrayed him? Sorry, but that just doesn't add up."

Silverstreak's gaze lifted to the horizon. "That's something Prowl himself should be wondering, not you two. Go back."

Sari wouldn't have it though. Feeling her stubborn side kicking in, she got back on her feet and cast him a death glare.

"Not before we hear your side of the story!" she declared. "Something must have happened back there, and I want to know what!" She grabbed her key, which was flashing and tugging Sari forward the entire time, and put it inside her blouse. "Quit it!" she hissed.

But Silverstreak wasn't paying attention to Sari anymore. He stood up with the intention of leaving, and he certainly would have left if it weren't for Bumblebee resting a hand against his chest-plate, forcing him to stop.

"Stand aside," Silverstreak said, keeping his head bowed.

"Sari asked you something," Bumblebee replied in a firm tone, "I think you should answer."

"I don't have to tell either of you anything!" Silverstreak said crossly. "Maybe I wanted to shoot the slagger, did you ever think of that?" The blue bot pushed Bumblebee out of his way and prepared to transform.

"No, you didn't."

Silverstreak froze at the girl's soft reply. All his anger vanished into thin air and his shoulders slumped forward to signify his weariness.

"What makes you so sure of that?" he asked with a sigh. He didn't face either of his interrogators. It didn't seem it was worth the trouble.

"You're here," she answered. She boldly walked closer to the bitter Autobot. "Look, I don't have any brothers or sisters, but I know this much: Whenever there's a problem, you try to work things out. So why don't you put your stupid pride aside and try to talk it over with Prowl?"

"Because there's nothing to talk over," Silverstreak replied softly, "Not before I can look at him straight in the optic."

"Great! If that's all that it takes, then we'll take you to our base, lock both of you in a room and you can look at each other in the optic all you like while you talk!" Bumblebee said. "So, are you coming?"

A cold, mirthless laughter flowed out of Silverstreak's lips.

"You really don't get it, do you?" he asked, turning around once more.

Bumblebee and Sari looked at Silverstreak in confusion.

"Err… what are you talking about?" the yellow Autobot ventured to ask.

Silverstreak never got the chance to answer. He suddenly stiffened, his light blue optics widened in evident surprise, and he jumped aside.

Not a moment too soon, for an eight-tentacled mechanism landed where Silverstreak was just seconds ago. And all of its tentacles were now stretching in his direction.

_TBC..._


	3. Part 3

Bumblebee and Sari staggered backwards, staring in disbelief at the machine that attacked Silverstreak as the blue bot dodged the tentacles with cat-like agility. They both recognised the machine, even though a single red optic flashed brightly in place of the old cockpit.

"I thought we put the guy behind bars!" Bumblebee exclaimed. "Who's controlling the thingamajig this time?!"

---------------

"Interesting. Even while distracted, he managed to detect the Robo-Smasher's attack on time," Megatron mused, watching from the computer screen the blue bot jumping out of the Robo-Smasher's grip again. "Not bad for an Autobot."

Deciding to analyse the situation more thoroughly, Megatron activated his link with Robo-Smasher so he could scan the Autobot closely. When he saw the readings on the screen, he couldn't help but chuckle.

"So that's why you aren't fighting back. You're either very brave, Autobot… or very foolish."

Megatron didn't ponder on matters for long though. He turned his attention to the computer screen once more, wishing to see what the girl and the yellow Autobot were up to.

"We have to help him!" Sari said.

_Naturally,_ Megatron thought in distaste.

"Call for back up!" Bumblebee cried, getting out his stingers. "It's time to give that ugly mug the Bumblebee treatment."

Megatron's optics glinted in the darkness of the laboratory.

"I don't think so, robotic-runt," the Decepticon leader said, and he activated his link with Robo-Smasher again. "Go after _all _the Autobots in sight."

------------------------

Silverstreak kicked himself free when one of the tentacles wrapped itself around his leg. Three more tentacles lunged at him, but Bumblebee electrocuted them away from the motorcycle.

"Game over, walking garbage-can," the yellow bot declared. "Why don't you go play with something else?"

The machine's optic simply flashed red and its tentacles lunged at Bumblebee. It took all of the bot's speed to get out of harm's way_._

"Hey, I didn't mean me!" he said indignantly.

"What made it change its mind all of a sudden?" Silverstreak wondered aloud.

"Beats me," Bumblebee answered, clenching his jaw. He cast an annoyed look in the motorcycle's direction. "You know, this would be a lot easier if you took out your _own _weapons!"

"Trust me, it wouldn't!" Silverstreak replied, just as annoyed. He reached for a tentacle with both hands in an attempt to break it in two, but it didn't work. Even worse, Silverstreak had to duck so that none of the other tentacles caught him.

"Sari, where's that backup?" Bumblebee asked, still using his stingers on the maximum setting.

"Okay, okay, I'm working on it!" Sari said. Using her key, she opened the Autobot communication frequencies via her cell-phone.

------------------

"You mean to tell me you didn't see them go?" Optimus asked Ratchet. He had noticed that both Bumblebee and Sari were missing, and he couldn't help but feel alarmed now.

"I've already told you, kid," Ratchet answered with as much patience as he could afford. "I was working on a broken console Sari forgot to fix. So, no, I didn't see them go."

"Maybe Bumblebee took Sari back to her home?" Bulkhead suggested. "It _is _late."

"If that had been the case, they would have said something in the first place," Optimus reasoned. "I'd better contact Bumblebee."

The words barely flowed out of his lip components when he froze. The sound of an incoming transmission pierced all three Autobots' audios, and they heard Sari's voice loud and clear.

"Optimus, you have to come quickly! We need your help!"

Optimus tensed at once. "Sari! What's wrong?!"

"And who's 'we'?" Ratchet asked in turn.

"Bumblebee and Silverstreak! We wanted to talk to him and then this machine came out of nowhere and started attacking them!" Sari explained as fast as she could. "Now will you hurry up?!"

"Calm down, Sari, we're on our way," Optimus replied. "Just keep your cell-phone on so we can find you, all right?"

"Okay!" Sari said. "Silverstreak, look out!" she exclaimed with a gasp.

Optimus clenched his jaw at that. Things sounded very, _very _wrong. He turned to Bulkhead and Ratchet. "Autobots, transform and--"

"Wait."

Optimus, Ratchet and Bulkhead turned to the direction of the voice. Prowl was walking up to them, a look of grim determination in his optics.

"I'm coming too," he declared.

Bulkhead cocked his head. "Are you worried about your brother?"

Prowl snorted. "Bumblebee and Sari are in danger too, as you're well aware," he replied coolly before transforming to his alternate mode. "We'd better go."

In spite of their dire situation, Optimus smiled inwardly. Prowl's tone sounded too aloof even for the ninjabot's own standards, and that meant only one thing. He _was_ worried about Silverstreak, even though he'd probably never admit it.

-----------------

After making sure she left her cell phone on, Sari put it back in her pocket and hurried to Silverstreak and Bumblebee. The blue bot fell down, but he managed to punch away the machine's foot before it descended upon him. In a matter of moments, he was back on his feet and at Bumblebee's side.

"Sari, get out of here!" the yellow bot said, keeping his optics on Robo-Smasher.

"You know I can help!" she replied. "I can use the key!"

"You can't get close enough!" Bumblebee answered. He dodged one of the tentacles and electrocuted it.

"Wait, I have an idea," Silverstreak said, "Retreat towards the end of the pier!"

"Are you crazy?! We'll be cut off!" Bumblebee exclaimed incredulously.

"Just trust me!" Silverstreak said. He jumped backwards before any of the tentacles could touch him.

Sari looked at the machine, then at the lake. She smiled knowingly when she realised what was Silverstreak's plan.

"Bumblebee, do what he says!"

Bumblebee stared at Sari for moment. "Okay, I was wrong. You're _both _crazy!" he answered. Nevertheless, he followed Silverstreak's example and retreated too, until the lake was right behind them and they could go no farther. Robo-Smasher crept towards them on all six legs, ready to attack again.

At that, Bumblebee turned to Silverstreak. "Right. Now what?"

Silverstreak placed a hand on Bumblebee's shoulder, a strange expression settled on his features. "Wait for it."

"Wait for what?" Bumblebee asked.

He found out when Robo-Smasher leapt at them. Before Robo-Smasher had the chance to catch either of the Autobots, Silverstreak ducked, dragging Bumblebee along with him. Bumblebee yelped in surprise and instinctively closed his optics, bracing himself for the impact.

There was no need for alarm though. Robo-Smasher leapt over them and into the water with a loud splash.

Though relieved to see the machine gone, Sari rushed to Bumblebee and Silverstreak. "Are you guys okay?" she asked worriedly.

Bumblebee sighed. "Peachy." He turned to Silverstreak, giving him a very wry look. "Give a little warning next time, okay? I almost had a spark-attack."

Silverstreak couldn't help but smile at that. "My apologies," he answered in a mild tease, and offered his arm as support to help Bumblebee up. They were still dusting themselves when Optimus arrived at the scene, followed closely behind by Ratchet, Prowl and Bumblebee.

"Bumblebee, Sari!" the Autobot leader said, transforming to his robot mode. "Where's the machine?"

"At the bottom of the lake, so I don't think we'll have to worry about it anymore," Bumblebee said, "All thanks to Silverstreak here," he added, patting the blue bot on the shoulder.

If it were possible, Silverstreak's face would acquire a tinge of red. "It was nothing…"

"Are you kidding me? That was awesome!" Sari argued. "Have you ever done that before?"

"We both have," Prowl said at that moment. He walked up to Bumblebee and Sari, regarding them quite austerely. "The question now is: What were you two doing with Silverstreak?"

Silverstreak shook his head at those words. "Relax, Brother. They only wanted to talk to me."

"About?"

"Our encounter with Oil Slick."

Prowl huffed at that and turned to Bumblebee and Sari once more. "What more could you possibly want to know about the matter?"

It was Silverstreak who answered though. "They wanted to know what you never cared to find out."

"Such as? How it felt to pull the trigger against your own brother?" Prowl snapped.

For the first time ever, everyone heard an unusually acidic tone in Prowl's voice. Even Silverstreak flinched visibly and, for a moment, it seemed that he would cuff his brother. In the end, however, the blue bot just shook his head.

"I think I'll leave now," he said simply. He got ready to transform and drive off, but Optimus stood on the blue bot's path.

"This isn't over," he said softly.

"What are you doing?" Prowl asked, looking at Optimus incredulously.

"What you should have been doing all along," the young leader replied, crossing his arms. "It looks to me that you two have a lot to settle, so you're not going anywhere until you do. Is that understood, Prowl?"

"But--" Silverstreak started.

"Sorry, kid, but I think you should listen to Prime," Ratchet said, placing a hand on Silverstreak's shoulder. "We'll be a little farther away to give you some privacy, all right?"

Neither of the brothers spoke as they started contemplating matters carefully. Once they realised that they were cornered, they settled for a reluctant nod.

"Good. Come on, everyone," Optimus said, beckoning the rest of the group to follow him. "Let's let them be for a while."

Ratchet, Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Sari complied, though they cast a brief look of concern at the brothers before walking away.

"Do you think that will work?" Bulkhead asked, leaning close to Optimus.

Optimus heaved a tired sigh. "If it doesn't work… I don't know what will."

--------------------

Prowl looked in the direction Prime and the others left, tempted to follow them. Being the stubborn bot he was, the last thing he wanted was to be left alone with Silverstreak. He reasoned that he said all he wanted to say a long time ago.

Still, curiosity got the better of him and he cast a glance at his brother. Silverstreak was currently resting his back against some of the largest crates in the pier. He kept his head bowed, seemingly ignoring Prowl's presence.

Apparently, he had no intention of saying anything either, so both bots remained silent.

"Your friends are quite persistent," Silverstreak noted out of the blue. He didn't look at Prowl as he spoke.

Prowl nodded absentmindedly. "Like someone else I know."

Silverstreak said nothing. Prowl caught himself wishing to go to his brother, but he squashed that feeling at once. He hissed a curse under his breath when he realised that his spark was torn in two. A part of himself, the one that still loved and cared for Silverstreak in spite of everything, wanted him to assure his little brother that he wasn't angry anymore; that he was relieved and happy, even _whole_, to see him there. Then another part of him, the one that was still disappointed, angry and bitter, still recalled the pain in his spark when Silverstreak shot him.

"Why did you come, Silverstreak? I told you I didn't want to see you again," he asked, doing his best to keep his tone neutral. He _had_ to maintain a distance, especially after making the mistake of opening up once.

"Does that mean I have no right to worry about you?" Silverstreak asked in a hurt manner, facing Prowl. "When I heard your ship was missing, I thought that--" He stopped himself. "…I'm just glad you're okay."

"A little too late to be concerned about my welfare, don't you think?"

Silverstreak's optics reflected his sadness. "Prowl, I can say I'm sorry a thousand times and it wouldn't matter to you. But that's all I can say. I'm sorry. I never meant to shoot you."

Prowl clenched his jaw, frustration building up in his insides. "Then why did you?"

"I…!" Silverstreak stiffened, sighed, and then turned his gaze away. "I… didn't know it was you."

Now Prowl was downright furious. Did Silverstreak underestimate his intelligence?

"I was standing in front of you!" he all but shouted.

"Exactly."

Silverstreak's voice was barely audible. Prowl still flinched as though he had been slapped on the face. All emotions of wrath vanished into thin air to be replaced by the cold tendrils of realisation crawling up his spinal axis. Everything was silent now, and the whirring sounds of Silverstreak and Prowl's engines were the only things disturbing the quiet of the night.

Then Prowl saw – _really _saw – his brother's light blue optics, a far cry from their normal bright cerulean colour. Prowl's realisation changed to numbing shock, for everything fell into place at that moment.

"Are you telling me that--?" Prowl never finished his sentence, for Silverstreak suddenly tensed and lunged at him. Prowl didn't have time to react as his brother pushed him aside.

Robo-Smasher, still dripping water after escaping his watery prison, leapt and latched onto Silverstreak. The blue bot didn't even get the chance to scream as one of the tentacles penetrated his cranial unit and started doing its vile work. He merely collapsed on the ground, convulsing violently.

"NO!" Just fury taking control of his actions, Prowl took out his shuriken and charged against the Robo-Smasher.

Robo-Smasher didn't stand a chance as Prowl struck from all directions, hacking and cutting every wire and every joint. Seconds later, the detestable machine collapsed into pieces at the black motorcycle's feet. And by the time Optimus and the others arrived at the scene, alarmed at the commotion, Prowl had knelt by Silverstreak, turning him over on his back. He shook his brother by the shoulders, imploring him to say something, _anything. _

It was of no use. Silverstreak was offline and didn't so much as stir. Prowl quickly looked at Sari, his optics pleading and asking what his vocalizer couldn't utter.

_Save him._

Sari nodded and walked up to Silverstreak, holding up her key. The key emitted a powerful light and transformed, while Silverstreak's chest plate opened as if in its own accord. Knowing what to do, she placed the key in a small slot close to the blue bot's spark. Brilliant light surged through Silverstreak's body, and all the parts that had at one time or another taken damage were soon repaired.

The light finally subsided. Sari removed the key, and they all waited with bated breath to see Silverstreak come online.

He never did. Sari bit her lower lip, unsure what to make of that. She even turned to Ratchet, worry etched all over her young features.

"Why isn't it working?"

"I don't know," Ratchet replied. He leaned close, placing a hand on the blue helm. "It must have to do with what the machine did to Silverstreak."

"But it's not irreversible, is it? I mean, just because Sari's key didn't fix it…" Bumblebee started.

"I can't say anything for certain before I do a full examination on his circuits," Ratchet snapped, not letting Bumblebee to continue. "We'd better take him back to base."

"I'll carry him," Bulkhead offered and scooped the offline bot in his arms.

"Fine, just make sure you don't jostle him too much. I'm going ahead to prepare the repair-bay," Ratchet declared as he transformed and drove off.

Bulkhead transformed as well and followed in his alternate mode, carrying Silverstreak on his roof as carefully as possible. Bumblebee and Sari were next, and then Optimus. Prowl, however, remained rooted on the spot for many long moments, looking at his hands sorrowfully.

He couldn't afford to show such a thing to Optimus nor anyone else, but… he was terrified. Terrified of losing his brother, just when he found him again.

---------------------

When Prowl arrived at the base, Optimus, Bulkhead and Bumblebee were already seated on their makeshift couch. None of them said anything, but all three nodded in the direction of the repair-bay in answer to Prowl's silent question.

Understanding, Prowl nodded his silent thanks and walked into the other room. He winced inwardly when he saw that Silverstreak was lying on a berth, still offline and all kinds of machines attached to his systems. Nevertheless, Prowl walked bravely up to Ratchet and Sari, who were standing nearby.

"How is he?"

His tone was soft, apologetic, almost meek, and enough to undo Sari. Before either of the Autobots could react, the little girl rushed out of the room, doing her best to hold back tears. Prowl watched the little girl go, but then looked back at Ratchet in wait for an answer.

Ratchet sighed and shook his head.

"Explain," Prowl demanded, feeling his vocalizer strain.

"That machine's tampered with your brother's basic programming and memory files," Ratchet said. "Basically, it attempted to delete them with the intention of replacing them with another kind of code."

"A Decepticon one?" Prowl asked.

"It looks like it. The fact that it attacked Autobots wasn't a coincidence."

Though Prowl kept his face neutral, his insides boiled with fury and hatred. If he ever found out who was behind the creation of that machine, he was going to make them wish they were never created. Now, however, he had to focus on his brother.

"What kind of damage are we talking about?" he asked.

"That's just it, kid. I don't know," Ratchet said. "It all depends on your brother's firewalls, the kind of files the machine attacked first, even how fast you cut off the reformatting process."

"Sari's key--"

"Sari's key can't do anything. It can't bring back files that have been deleted."

"So what now?" Prowl asked, unable to hide his exasperation any longer. "We just wait and see what happens?!"

"Yes," Ratchet said simply. He pinched the bridge of his nose, a sign that he was quite weary. "I'm sorry, kid. I wish my news was better, but that's the truth of the matter."

Prowl felt like his spark had extinguished at those words. "I see."

Silence reigned in the room for a few moments, until Ratchet spoke again. "Kid, there's something else."

Prowl regarded the medic intently. "Tell me."

"Well…" Ratchet said, "His chevrons and audio receptors are modified to serve as a complete echolocation system. A bit unusual for an otherwise perfectly healthy bot, don't you think?"

"Yes," Prowl admitted, aware of what Ratchet was telling him. Before realising it, his gaze drifted to Silverstreak. "Are his optics still…?"

"No, Sari's key fixed them," Ratchet said.

That was good news at least. The motorcycle sighed inwardly. "Can I stay with him?"

"Kid, I don't know if…" Ratchet stopped mid-sentence when he saw the look on Prowl's optics. "…_When _he'll come online again."

That hardly deterred Prowl though. "Then I'll wait."

Ratchet looked as though he was about to say something, but, in the end, he decided to let the matter be. He nodded his consent and headed out of the room without another word. As for Prowl, he sat on a chair nearby, looking at Silverstreak and all kinds of thoughts filling his mind. Thoughts of his brother surrounded in perpetual darkness, trying to move on because there were no other options left for him.

Was it the explosion that damaged his brother's optics? Why couldn't anyone repair them, and how long did it take Silverstreak to adjust to that new life? Did anyone help him when Prowl himself wasn't there to do that? And, more importantly… How long did Silverstreak wander alone in that vulnerable state, searching for Prowl?

Prowl leaned forward, his optics locked on his brother's offline ones.

"We have a lot to talk about, Silverstreak," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "I forbid you to give up now."

--------------------------

Professor Sumdac opened his eyes and stretched, letting out a sigh of contentment. He couldn't even remember the last time he had slept so well, and he was feeling quite cheerful. He got up and headed for the kitchen, wishing to have some good breakfast before starting work in his laboratory.

He was more than just surprised to see that Sari was there, looking terrible. The little girl was sitting listlessly at the table, not touching the toast the robo-chef had prepared for her.

"Is something wrong, Sari?" the professor asked, walking up to her. He placed an arm over her shoulders in the hopes of comforting her somehow.

She didn't answer. She simply stared at her plate.

"Sari?"

Finally, she lifted her gaze and looked at the professor. "Hi, dad."

"What's the matter?" Professor Sumdac insisted, his tone gentle and kind, as a father's should be. He regarded the girl closely, noticing something that he didn't like at all. "Have you been crying?"

Sari bowed her head. "It's Prowl," she answered quietly.

"You mean that black Autobot?" Professor Sumdac said. "Did something happen to him?"

"Actually, his brother," Sari answered, and she started telling her father everything that happened the previous day, including Prowl's and Silverstreak's falling out and the attack on the younger brother.

"Where do they have him?" the professor asked, once Sari finished her story.

"Back at the base. Prowl is with him," the girl said, letting out a sigh of resignation. Suddenly, her hands clenched into fists and she pounded the table. "It's not fair! They were both so stubborn to admit anything that they wasted chance after chance to talk and solve a stupid misunderstanding. Five minutes would have been enough!"

The professor listened to Sari's rant patiently, saddened to see her like this. Sure, she could act tough and determined all she wanted. The truth was that Sari was just a little girl with a gentle heart, and she didn't want to see any of her friends hurt or suffering. That was why he decided he had to make things better.

"Maybe they haven't run out of chances," he said.

Sari looked up, her eyes reflecting her hope. "You think so?"

The professor nodded. "Wait here. I might have something that will probably help Prowl's brother," he said, and he headed to his laboratory.

Megatron came online the moment Professor Sumdac entered the room.

"Ah, professor," he said politely. "I'm glad you're here."

Professor Sumdac simply looked around, frowning when he didn't find what was looking for.

"Where's the repair-bot? I was hoping you would have it ready by now," he said.

"Yes, about that. I'm afraid there has been a terrible… misfortune," Megatron replied in an apologetic tone.

Professor Sumdac listened, not realising just how good an actor Megatron could be.

_A/n: And there you have it. As to how exactly Silverstreak got blind, you'll find out in the fourth and final installment. :)_


	4. Part 4

Two days later, the machines on which Silverstreak was hooked still beeped away, giving no indication of any change in the young bot's condition. In the meantime, Professor Sumdac expressed his sympathies, even apologised that he couldn't provide the repair-bot he had promised. As he said, the thieves that broke into his laboratory left no traces, so it would be impossible to find them.

Nevertheless, the Autobots thanked the human, realising that he only meant well. After all, they already suspected who were the thieves, and the Decepticons would pay for it in the very next battle.

Sari, on the other hand, asked her father if she could stay at the Autobots' base, for she wanted to be there when Silverstreak came online. Since Professor Sumdac couldn't find it in his heart to deny the girl's request, he gave her permission. So, the girl was now at the base, hoping, like everyone else, that the young bot would come online soon.

During that whole time, Prowl hardly left his brother's side. He merely sat on the chair, staring at the lying form and waiting patiently. He didn't seem to acknowledge anyone anymore, not even Ratchet, who came into the repair-bay every few hours to make sure the machines that supported Silverstreak's systems were operating properly.

Even so, there were times that either Bumblebee or Bulkhead heard Prowl talking to Silverstreak. Neither of the two young Autobots could make out all the words, but they were sure Prowl was recounting some old story from his law-enforcing days. And, once, Optimus saw Prowl curling his fingers around Silverstreak's unresponsive ones, looking like he was about to break down.

It was only natural. The worry and anxiety started to prove nerve-racking, even for a stoic bot such as the ninjabot.

On the third day, Ratchet convinced - or rather, threatened - Prowl out of the room so the motorcycle could get some energon into his systems. The medic himself walked inside the repair-bay to check on the life-support machines, and he was stunned when he saw Silverstreak stirring.

"Kid?" Ratchet asked before he could help it.

Silverstreak's optics flickered on. A small gasp escaped the blue bot's lips and he tried to sit up, but Ratchet held him in place.

"Easy, you're only going to hurt yourself."

Silverstreak stopped squirming. He locked his gaze on the other bot, recognition reflected in his optics. "Your voice… You're one of Prowl's friends, aren't you?"

The medic nodded with a small smile. "The name's Ratchet. And, yeah, you really can see, in case you were wondering."

Silverstreak frowned at that. "So you know."

"Yeah, I do," Ratchet replied, "I had to scan you when you got injured, so I found the ultrasound circuitry on your chevrons."

"Injured?" Silverstreak echoed. He checked himself in confusion. "Why can't I remember?"

Ratchet looked at the young Autobot curiously. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Silverstreak thought hard. "My talk with the little Earthwoman and Prowl."

"When was that?"

"In the morning. The sun was warm, but I could still feel some dew clinging on my motion pistons." The blue bot faced Ratchet, a frowning expression on his features. "You make it sound as though I talked to them again."

"You did. Just before your processor got corrupted," Ratchet said. He shook his head when Silverstreak flinched. "No, don't worry. Apparently, your self-repair systems worked around the problem by deleting your most recent files. That's why you have that memory-lapse."

Silverstreak relaxed a bit and let out a sigh of relief. "I see. So what happened exactly?"

"A lot of things," Ratchet answered, affording a small smile. "I guess it's a blessing you don't remember."

"And Prowl? Is he okay?" Silverstreak asked, his tone quite worried.

"I'm fine. Thanks to you."

Both Silverstreak and Ratchet turned to see Prowl standing at the doorway.

"Brother…" Silverstreak breathed out.

Prowl nodded, a wan smile on his lips at last. "Hello, Silverstreak."

---------------------

The news about Silverstreak's recovery spread fast. Soon enough, all the Autobots gathered inside the repair-bay, wishing to see for themselves that the blue bot was all right. Sari especially beamed with joy when she found out that her key fixed Silverstreak's sight. Silverstreak, on the other hand, was glad that he had the chance to match the voices he knew with actual faces, and he even shook hands with Optimus Prime. As Silverstreak stated, half-teasing half-serious, anyone who could handle Prowl deserved respect.

So, a couple of hours after night settled in the city of Detroit, all the Autobots and Sari were sitting in the main room of the base, engaged in conversation. The bots sipped some energon, whereas Sari settled with some orange juice.

"Silverstreak, can I ask you something?" Optimus said after some time.

The blue bot's lip components tugged to a small knowing smile. "You want to know how I got blind?"

Optimus nodded, his optics locking on Prowl for a brief moment. "I think we all do."

Silverstreak understood. Taking another sip of his energon, he started telling his story.

---------------------

_They both hid behind a rock formation, watching Oil Slick from a distance. After going through with the plan one last time, Prowl was the first of the two to leave. His instructions were clear and simple: when Silverstreak heard Prowl and Oil Slick's clash, he would hurry to the ship and take control of it._

_That was precisely what happened. A few minutes later, Silverstreak picked up the sound of fighting, so he jumped at the chance; he totted his gun and ran towards the ship. Shooting the lock was easy, and Silverstreak smiled inwardly when the door opened. Nevertheless, he still stepped inside with caution. Prowl had warned him that Oil Slick could have the ship booby-trapped, so Silverstreak didn't want to risk anything._

_Silverstreak wasn't prepared for what was to come though. While he was walking, he heard something triggering to his left and he turned around, his optics wide in surprise. _

_Green vapours spewed all over his face, making Silverstreak stagger backwards with a gasp. He tried to wipe his optics, but it was too late. The vapours seeped through the optical seams and started eating away the sensors from the inside. Maddened by pain and fright, he tried to fumble his way out, but it was impossible. He couldn't tell which way to go._

_He didn't realise the ship exploded until he was all of a sudden thrown a good three feet away, surrounded in smouldering heat. He didn't even register his gears twisting out of shape as he crashed on the ground. Next thing he knew, Silverstreak heard rapid footsteps approaching him, and he did the only thing that made sense at that moment. He pulled the trigger._

_He was relieved when he heard the other fall down with a thud; it meant his aim proved good. But his relief quickly changed to horror at the sound of a voice congratulating him on a job well done, for it wasn't his brother's voice._

_The cry that tore out of his vocalizer carried a far greater pain than the one tormenting his optics._

------------------

Silverstreak paused for a moment to take another sip of his energon. The room was quiet now, and everyone present couldn't help but feel sympathy for the young bot. As the story progressed, Silverstreak's voice gradually became more strained, until he could barely get the words out of his vocalizer. Still, Silverstreak persisted.

"I don't know when Oil Slick left after that; I was more focused on finding Prowl. I fumbled my way to the direction I fired, and I found him a little farther away from me. He was unconscious, but thankfully functioning." He turned to his brother, looking at him sadly. "My transmitter wouldn't work, so I used one of our emergency flares. Fortunately, another law-enforcer on patrol saw it and carried us to the nearest repair-bay." He lowered his gaze to stare at his energon. "The medic took care of my wounds, but he said there was nothing he could do about my optics. The damage was too extended and complicated."

"Well, not complicated for Sari's key," Bumblebee noted with a grin, patting the girl on the head. She just swatted his hand away in mock indignation.

Silverstreak managed another small smile. "Apparently not." He tapped his chevrons. "It feels strange not having to use these anymore, but I'm not complaining."

"I bet you aren't," Bulkhead said, "And the Decepticons won't stand a chance against your guns."

"Decepticons?" Silverstreak echoed.

"Yeah, things aren't exactly peaceful around here, as you may have noticed," Ratchet said. "We could use some extra help, and you're certainly qualified for the job."

Optimus nodded his agreement and held up his energon cube in a 'cheers' gesture. "Welcome to the team, Silverstreak."

Everyone followed Optimus's example, holding up their own cubes amid much laughter and cries of: "Welcome."

No one noticed Silverstreak's clouded expression.

----------------------

"Well, what do you think, Silverstreak?"

Silverstreak didn't answer at once. He rested his back against the bark of the tree that was growing inside Prowl's room and looked at his surroundings. He barely kept his gaze in one place, as if trying to see everything at once, making up for all that time he had been blind.

Finally, the younger motorcycle smiled. "I can see why you like it. The quiet is almost soothing." He lifted his right hand at optic level, watching almost mesmerised the plating glinting under the shower of moonlight.

Prowl smiled a bit from his comfortable perch amid the branches of the tree. "That from someone who wanted to have protoforms running around his house one day."

Silverstreak let his hand drop at his side. "Things change."

Prowl shifted a bit, feeling embarrassed for the first time in a long while. "You never told me how you found out I was missing."

"Though you said you didn't want to see me again, I still wanted to hear from you," Silverstreak replied with a shrug. "So Kup always told me of any news he heard of you."

Prowl sat up. "You're joking."

"Nope," the blue bot said, chuckling. "He even kept me in the force as his personal assistant in spite of my condition."

Prowl couldn't help it. He chuckled as well. "Impressive. I never thought he would ever go out of his way to help any us, subordinates or not."

"I'll say," Silverstreak said. He bowed his head, a rueful expression settling on his features. "He was even sad to see me go."

"You resigned?"

"I had to look for you," Silverstreak explained. "And since the higher-ups of the so-called Elite Guard didn't care for my appeal, I decided to take matters into my own hands."

"What puzzles me is who was insane enough to sell a ship to a blind bot," Prowl mused aloud.

Silverstreak winced. "Somebody who didn't know he was selling a ship to a blind bot?"

The black motorcycle hooked his legs on the branch and lowered himself close to his brother. "You didn't."

Silverstreak scratched his head in an embarrassed manner, looking very much like a protoform caught red-handed into stealing an energon-goody. "Well, you know what they say… what you don't know, can't hurt you."

Prowl raised an optic ridge. "And you actually piloted it?"

"In a way, yes. I'd type the coordinates on the controls and the auto-pilot would do the rest." Silverstreak answered. "The trip was kinda bumpy, I can tell you that."

"Just bumpy?" Prowl let out a dramatic sigh. "Show off."

"I like you too," the blue bot said. His tone was playful, but it was clear something bothered him. After a moment of silence, he looked up at his brother. "Prowl?"

The ninjabot let go of the branch and landed next to Silverstreak, a very serious expression on his features. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Silverstreak said at once. "I just…" He paused briefly, considering matters. "Will… will you tell me about your life here?"

Prowl relaxed. "Of course," he said. Sitting by the roots of the tree, he rested his head against the bark and told his story from the moment he and the others found the All-spark. He did his best not to omit anything, wishing to share everything with his brother.

Silverstreak, on the other hand, also sat and listened, keeping his optics on his brother's face.

--------------------

Optimus sat on the sofa, reading a datapad. His gaze drifted momentarily to one of the windows, and saw the grey cloak of pre-dawn covering the city. It wouldn't be long before the sun rose, signifying the start of a new day. He got back to his reading, but a sound behind him made him turn around. He smiled when he saw it was Silverstreak.

"I expected you to be with Prowl."

"I let him meditate," Silverstreak replied, walking up to the young leader. "I told him I wanted to stretch my legs for a while."

Optimus regarded Silverstreak curiously. "So what's the real reason you're here?" he asked.

"To see you."

Optimus frowned in confusion, but he decided to indulge the blue bot. He beckoned Silverstreak to sit down on the couch.

"What's this about?" he asked, as soon as Silverstreak settled across him.

The motorcycle didn't look up at Optimus. In fact, Optimus could tell that Silverstreak was acting strange. The motorcycle was wringing his hands nervously, as though unsure as to how to approach the matter.

Even so, Optimus knew better than to try and press Silverstreak. He simply watched the blue bot patiently, allowing him to build up enough courage to speak up; until, finally, his patience was rewarded.

"Prowl told me of everything you've done. Not just for him, mind you, but for the others as well," Silverstreak said. "Thank you for that."

Optimus nodded, accepting Silverstreak's thanks graciously. "I only tried to keep our team together."

Silverstreak smiled. "With all due respect, you did more than that," he said. "You've earned Prowl's trust and loyalty. There aren't all that many bots who can claim that sort of thing."

Optimus raised an optic ridge in disbelief. "Did Prowl tell you that?"

"Hardly," Silverstreak replied with a chuckle. "I saw it in his optics when he spoke of you." His mirth died down, however, and his optics reflected his saddened expression. "It makes it more difficult for me to say what I have to say."

"And that is?" Optimus asked, not really understanding.

Silverstreak sighed and looked down at his hands. "When I joined the force, I did it in the belief that I would use my guns right. That I'd shoot the bad guys and protect the innocent. I ended up shooting my own brother instead." His hands closed into fists. "Now, every time I touch a gun, I remember the sound of Prowl's body hitting the ground and Oil Slick's words ringing in my audios. Even worse… I remember the smell of Prowl's burnt circuits while I was holding him, begging him to stay with me till help arrived."

Optimus lowered his datapad and stared at Silverstreak in sympathy, for realisation caught up with him. "You can't fight."

"Not yet anyway," Silverstreak replied. He heaved a sigh. "I'm sorry. I don't expect you to like it."

"You're right. I don't," Optimus said. He winced when he saw Silverstreak's optics shut in a pained manner, so he prodded the blue bot to look at him.

"That doesn't mean I don't understand," he said softly, "And you can still stay if you want to."

"We both know that I would only be a burden in this case," Silverstreak said.

Optimus shook his head, wishing Silverstreak didn't feel that way. "I don't believe that."

"But you will eventually. All of you will."

A sigh flowed out of Optimus's lips. It was obvious Silverstreak's mind was made up, and Optimus wouldn't be able to talk him out of it.

"So what will you do now?" he asked.

Silverstreak shrugged. "This planet looks like it has many surprises. I might as well go see them with my own optics."

"The others will be sad to see you go," Optimus pointed out.

"That's why they won't see me go," Silverstreak said.

"Are you too afraid to say goodbye?" the young leader asked, disapproval ringing in his words.

"If I say goodbye, it will only mean I won't be coming back," Silverstreak replied.

Optimus understood what Silverstreak told him. "And Prowl?"

The former gunner smiled wanly. "I've already left him something in his room. Hopefully, it will serve as a promise." He looked outside, just in time to see the first light of day bringing colour to the world once more.

"I should go." He stood up and bowed his head. "Look after Prowl, Optimus. My dear brother is a good bot, but a bit hard-headed at times."

"I know," Optimus said with a nod. He stood up as well and extended his hand toward the blue bot. "Come back when you feel ready, Silverstreak."

"I will," Silverstreak promised, completing the handshake. He cast a brief glance in the direction of Prowl's room and then turned on his heel to walk away. In a matter of moments, he was out of the door and out of sight.

-----------------------

Silverstreak stood outside the factory, taking in the sight of sunlight before his optics. He remained there for some time, savouring the brilliance he had missed for more than fifty solar cycles.

Before realising it, he shut his optics. His second nature kicked in, and his chevrons let out a barely audible clicking sound, sending it to all directions.

The outline of buildings jumped to life in the darkness. More than that, he could discern a familiar form perched on the roof of the factory, something that made Silverstreak smile.

"See you, Prowl." With that, he transformed and drove away into the sunrise.

Prowl stayed on the top of the factory, watching Silverstreak go. When he could no longer detect the blue motorcycle's form in the horizon, he uncurled his right hand and looked at it.

There, shining brightly in his palm, was a small badge. A badge that his little brother left him at the root of the tree. The very badge Prowl had to give up when he was dismissed from the force.

Prowl smiled, hope swelling in his spark.

"See you, Silverstreak."

**The End.**


End file.
